Lock Cha: Hong Kong's Best Vegetarian Dim Sum

Hong Kong Dim Sum is a real treat–but vegetarians are often left out of the fun. Lock Cha Tea House, in Admiralty’s Hong Kong Park, is an amazing vegetarian restaurant with a wide variety of Dim Sum and over 70 types of Chinese tea. This is truly an incredible, must-visit restaurant with top notch ambiance, food, and drink.

As you walk in you are struck by the elegant interior, which heavily draws on traditional Chinese styles. Tea cakes are displayed to your right, with a traditional entryway–symbolizing fertility–welcoming you to the dining area.

Hung on the walls are paintings, tastefully complementing the interior style.

The specials on the day I ordered. These change every day.

The Chef’s Recommendation menu. This has changed over the years but I believe it is relatively static.

The waitress pouring the Sun Moon Lake Red Jade tea I ordered. A view of the gloriousness in all of its glorious glory.

More deliciousness.

Close up of cabbage wrapped vegetables.

Mushroom buns. These were good, but a bit doughy for my taste.

One of the great joys of Lock Cha is their superb tea menu. With over 70 tea choices, it will be a long time before you tire of the menu. During my visit I ordered the Sun Moon Lake Red Jade, purely because of that (awesome) name. As I am not a professional tea taster, it was difficult to describe. What I remember most is that it tasted like damp leaves, but not in a bad way. In previous visits I’ve ordered the silver needle, which is very nice, if a bit light. Since it is Hong Kong, the waiters all speak English, so don’t hesitate to ask for a recommendation. A quick cultural note: You’ll notice that the menu has entries under “Black Tea” and “Red Tea”. What people in the U.S. and Europe call “Black Tea” is known as “Red Tea” in China. What they call “Black Tea” is a darker, fermented type of tea which is not common in the West.

A selection of their tea bricks. These are probably all Puer–a type of black fermented tea.

In addition to having great food, tea, and service, Lock Cha sells nice tea sets.

These cups, which appear to have holes in them–but actually are just finished with a clear lacquer–caught my eye.

Nestled in Admiralty’s Hong Kong Park, the walk to and from Lock Cha will present you with stunning views of Hong Kong’s most beautiful skyscraper, I.M. Pei’s Bank of China building.

Grassroots Pantry, a vegan restaurant in Sheung Wan, is also worth visiting–but if you have to choose only one, choose Lock Cha.

How to get to Lock Cha:

Address: Ground Floor of The K.S. Lo Gallery, Hong Kong Park, Admiralty.

Website: www.lockcha.com

Phone: +852 2801-7177

Hours: Every day 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, except Saturdays when it closes at 9. Closed every second Tuesday of the month. Check their website for updated hours.

Map with directions:

Google Map:

Taxi Directions: Since Lock Cha is in Hong Kong Park, it is not directly accessible by car, although you can be dropped off a mere 1 minute walk away. Usually, if you just tell a taxi driver “Hong Kong Park, Admiralty” you’ll be dropped off on Supreme Court Road, after which you would simply enter the park, with Lock Cha right there. However, I once was dropped off at a side entrance of the park. To be fair to the driver, it was, technically, Hong Kong Park, although it was not where I wanted to go. So, to be safe, you might request getting dropped off at the British Council, which is at 3 Supreme Court Road, Admiralty. The Conrad Hotel is also close. Alternatively, you can simply walk from the MTR, using the directions below:

MTR Directions: If you’re taking the MTR, you’ll want to get off at Admiralty and take exit C1 to Pacific Place. Shortly after you enter the mall, there will be several sets of escalators on your right, which you will take up and out of the mall, into Hong Kong park. You’ll take a right, down Supreme Court road, and enter Hong Kong Park. Keep walking, and the Lock Cha will be on the right. It looks like this: